Knight signs extension at Texas Tech
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Texas Tech men's basketball Coach Bobby Knight said he has reached a three-year contract extension with the school, keeping him the team's boss through 2012.
Knight, during the Big 12 Conference's basketball media day in Oklahoma City, said he didn't know how long he would continue to coach but his new deal extends by three seasons his current agreement, which was to expire in 2009, The Dallas Morning News reported Thursday.
Knight begins the 2006-07 season with an 869-350 overall coaching record -- 11 victories behind the record held by former North Carolina Coach Dean Smith. Knight is 105-61 over five seasons of leading Texas Tech. He previously coached at Army and, for 29 seasons, at Indiana.
The Morning News said Knight's son Pat was made the team's head coach-designate before last season. He will receive a five-year contract to become Tech's head coach when his father retires. Another son, Tim, is an assistant athletic director at Texas Tech.
Bobby Knight turns 66 next week.
Linebacker's companion to stand trial
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- The off-duty police officer who shot San Diego Chargers linebacker Steve Foley during an early morning traffic confrontation admitted he did not show his badge.
Testifying during the San Diego Superior Court preliminary hearing for Lisa Maree Gaut, a passenger in Foley's car, Coronado, Calif., Policeman Aaron Mansker testified he was not in uniform and was driving his own car and, though he showed no badge, he said he verbally identified himself several times during a high-speed chase early on the morning of Sept. 3.
Gaut was accused of trying to ram the officer with Foley's car. After Mansker's testimony, Judge Frederick Maguire ordered Gaut to be tried on felony and misdemeanor charges including assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.
Foley, who was shot in a hand and a leg, has been released from a hospital and is recuperating at home. He pleaded innocent to drunken driving charges.
Federer to Madrid Masters quarterfinals
MADRID, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- World No. 1 Roger Federer survived a pair of tiebreakers Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Madrid Masters tennis tournament in Spain.
Federer, from Switzerland, slipped past Swede Robin Soderling 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (10-8) in third-round play of the eighth of nine Masters Series events this season. Federer goes against American Robby Ginepri in Friday's quarterfinals. Ginepri upset seventh-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) on Thursday.
World No. 2, heavy local favorite and defending tournament champion Rafael Nadal also made the quarters, winning 6-4, 6-3, over 13th-seeded German Tommy Hass. Nadal draws the Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych, who eliminated sixth-seeded American Andy Roddick 7-6 (9-7), 6-3. Berdych launched 23 aces in the match with Roddick.
Also Thursday, fourth-seeded David Nalbandian, from Argentina, beat England's Tom Henman 6-2, 2-6, 7-5; Russia's Marat Safin topped Belgium's Kristof Vliegen 6-3, 6-2; and 10th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez advanced when Sweden's Joachim Johansson withdrew due to illness.
Sharapova moves on at Zurich
ZURICH, Switzerland, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- No. 2-seeded Maria Sharapova posted a straight-set victory but injury led world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo to withdraw from Switzerland's $1.34 million Zurich Open.
Mauresmo, from France, Wednesday battled through a shoulder injury, which caused service problems. She decided not to continue Thursday, giving Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova a walkover into Saturday's semifinals.
Sharapova, from Russia, was a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) winner over Israel's Shahar Peer on Thursday and for Friday's quarterfinals draws local favorite Timea Bacsinszky, a qualifier who advanced when Italy's Francesca Schiavone withdrew due to a leg injury.
Also Thursday, third-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova topped Serbia's Jelena Jankovic 7-6 (8-6), 7-5, to set up a quarterfinal match with fifth-seeded Martina Hingis, another Swiss player.
The other quarterfinal Friday sends unseeded Russian Maria Kirilenko against Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik, who stopped fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva, from Russia, 6-1, 6-4.
The tournament continues through Sunday with the winner pocketing $196,900.
